Things have been humming along with wedding planning. We’ve been researching and booking the last of our vendors, designing our save the dates and invitations, and even eating some cake (our dessert bar is going to be to die for). Another thing that we’ve had the pleasure of beginning is our premarital counseling with our officiant.
Pastor Mark Fuller, the head pastor at Trinity Presbyterian in Plymouth, has graciously agreed to marry us next year. I am incredibly happy that he will be our officiant, because he is a great speaker and just an all-around nice, friendly, down-to-earth guy. I have always envisioned our ceremony as fun, lighthearted, slightly entertaining…and Pastor Fuller is definitely the guy to lead such an event. I know that the time the three of us spend together over the next few months will give him plenty of “material” to crack a few jokes during the ceremony (which I hope he will!).
We’re scheduled to do six to eight sessions with Pastor Fuller, and our first session mostly focused on him getting to know us and doing a quick review of the couple’s assessment we each filled out before the meeting. (Spoiler alert: we are very compatible.)
Near the end of the session, Pastor Fuller had us read a passage from the Bible—the wedding regular, Corinthians 13. I would never claim to be a Bible buff—I just bought my first Bible earlier this year—but I had heard Corinthians 13 at weddings, in movies, etc. For those of you that need a reminder, here are the verses Pastor Fuller read aloud for us (and I know that Bible stuff isn’t for everyone, so feel free to skip over this part if it’s not your thing):
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Up until this point, I stayed pretty dry eyed, which is an accomplishment for me. (Mr. Airplane even joked about the fact that he couldn’t believe I hadn’t shed a tear through the majority of the session.) But as soon as we started studying these verses, it kind of hit me: This is why we are here. This is why we are getting married. It has nothing to do with the dress, the flowers, the chair covers. It’s about love.
Then the waterworks turned on.
Luckily Pastor Fuller has had plenty of experience with blubbering brides, and we wrapped things up shortly after this. But these verses, especially the final one, struck a pleasantly emotional chord in me.
I have been pinning and saving quotes that I may try to use, somehow, in the wedding. I’m not much for woodworking, but I am loving this quote board.
Created and photographed by Janet Grubb and (formerly) sold in her Etsy shop, IHEARTMyGlueGun
Perhaps this isn’t the last you’ll see of Corinthians 13 in the Airplane wedding!
Did you do any pre-marital counseling? Are there any verses that inspired you during your planning process?
Beautiful! The pastor that is marrying us is also my fiance’s uncle. He’s an amazing pastor and I couldn’t imagine anyone else officiating our wedding. We start premarital counseling sometime this fall. I can’t wait. It’ll be pretty fun, especially since Brook (the pastor) can’t miss an opportunity to tease me.
I love it~ such a classic reading!
We chose Colossians 3:12-17. {As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony…}
We would love to do pre-marital counseling, but since we’re not having the ceremony in a church I’m having a really hard time finding someone that is affordable and appropriate (we don’t need to work through ‘issues’, just general pre-marital stuff). I’m thinking about getting some books to read together, but I like the idea of a third party to facilitate our conversations.
@krislynn_sd: Brook sounds fun! I’m sure counseling will be a blast.
@Red Poppy: Another really good passage. Good choice. 
@Becca: If you’re interested, our pastor is having us read “Saving your Marriage Before it Starts” by Les and Leslie Parrott. I would recommend it — be sure to get the “his and hers” workbooks to go with it.
We did the whole Catholic pre-cana shin dig (fun fact: we were one of the few couples that did NOT meet through an online matching site!) and I actually enjoyed it. We picked the readings and went with Tobit 8:4b-8 and a slightly edited Corinthians 13. My husband and I also read the responsorial psalm, an idea I took from one of my teachers at the time. My family and I have a really good relationship with the priest at our church so he was pretty open to these personal touches we added to our ceremony!
@Becca: I would also recommend “The Five Love Languages,” which I found to be pretty interesting. I know Mrs. Hot Wings did a series a while back about creating your own pre-marital counseling sessions too!
We did counseling with the great pastor at Mr. B’s parent’s church. It wasn’t logistically doable to counsel with our actual pastor because he lived so far away.
Miss Airplane, Plymouth, Michigan Age and Occupation: 26, Fundraising Project Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Food & Beverage Manager Engagement Date: March 31, 2012 Wedding Date: September 2013 Venue: Fox Hills Golf Club & Banquet Center About Me: I'm a true Michigander (born and raised) and a die-hard Wolverine. I am the definition of a multi-tasker and like to believe I am also a perfectionist, but my horrible short-term memory likes to prove otherwise. I'm an English major and a pretty punny girl, so get ready for some really horrible plays on words! When I'm not consumed with wedding planning, I enjoy copious amounts of television and an equally unhealthy addiction to bacon.
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